Shower-door frame latch construction



Nov. 6, 1962 G. A. KOCHANOWSKI 3,062,279

SHOWER-DOOR FRAME LATCH CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 12. 1959 FIG. 1 FIG. 2

i' LIJJ mmvrox GEoRgE A. KocHANowsKL ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,062,279 SHOWER-DOOR FRAME LATCH CONSTRUCTION George A. Kochanowski, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Kinkead Industries, Incorporated, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 852,425 1 Claim. (Cl. 160-196) This invention relates to door-frame latch construction in general, but is concerned more particularly with the latch construction of the door frames employed to define the doorway of shower stalls and of combined tub and shower-bath enclosures, for example, of the general type disclosed in Kochanowski application entitled Shower Door Frame Construction, Serial No. 841,827, filed on or about September 23, 1959, now abandoned and in S. M. Collins Patents 2,897,514 and 2,897,515.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improved arrangement for securely latching the shower door to the frame and for unlatching the same without detracting from the appearance of the installation. A related object is to provide a simple, effective and economical door latch for use with sliding-door construction disclosed in the aforementioned application or patents.

A door frame of the character with which the invention deals comprises top and bottom rails interconnected by a pair of vertical side members. A trackway is provided in the top and bottom rails for guiding a slidable door construction, which comprises a desired number of intermediate stanchions and two end stanchions interconnected by pliable foldable sheet plastic material. The two end stanchions each have a handle to permit the door to be slid back from either side so that each stanchion may be brought into a partially overlapping position with the door frame. As the plastic when stretched into the door closed position has a tendency to pull the end stanchions into an open position, it is desirable to provide a latch element. However, the latch element can cause marring of the various surfaces, when the end stanchions are brought into an overlapping position.

According to the invention, the foregoing and other difficulties are overcome by the simple provision of aligned or mating slots in the door frame and the end stanchions of the door whereby a simple button or latch element, preferably of plastic such as nylon, may be inserted and held securely in for example each of the end stanchions so that when the respective stanchions are brought into overlapping alignment with the vertical frame members the respective buttons protrude into the aligned aperture in the frame members to latch the door. As seen from the inside, only the back of the plastic latch element in its corresponding aperture is seen with the door closed, while on the outside no latch element is visible to mar the appearance of the closure, when using a channel shaped upright member having its slot in the inside leg of the channel. Alternatively, of course, a plastic latch element may be mounted in respective upright frame members and be received by respective shanchions to latch the door, so that it is in eifect interchangeably mounted in either frame or door stanchion. In either event, the plastic latch element avoids scratching or marring the surface of the metal with which \it comes in contact to preserve the appearance of the closure.

To accomplish the objectives of the invention, the latch element is preferably of U-shaped design having a lug on each end, whereby its ends may be grasped for squeezing and on release spring back into shape. A recess about the width of the thickness of each end stanchion is provided, in each leg of the latch element. The lugs project upwardly and downwardly on ends of the opposite legs of the latch element so that it may be manipulated easily for fitting the latch element through the aperture of the end stanchion. On being released, the end stanchion meshes with the recesses in the latch element so that the latch is held securely in the end stanchion. As the latch element is symmetrical top and bottom, it may be interchangeably mounted in either the left or right stanchion.

The above-mentioned and other objects and features of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood, by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, comprising FIGS. 1 to 4, wherein:

FIGS. 1 and 2 show small-scale front and rear views of the frame structure, wherein the upper and lower horizontal members of the frame contain trackways for a folding closure structure, which is shown expanded to door-closure position in FIG. 1 and in an intermediate folded position in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a partial top sectional view taken generally along line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 shows the details of the latch element together with the manner in which it is mounted in an end stanchion 5 and latches the closure to an upright member 4.

Referring to the front and rear views shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the illustrated door frame comprises horizontal top and bottom track members 2 and 3' in which the folding-door structure is slidably mounted by glide members entering track groove 13 and 14 therein as explained in the aforementioned application. The door frame further comprises upright channel members 4, and snap-in cap strip 16, as shown in FIG. 3.

The frame members 2 to 4, the cap strip 16, and the stanchions 5 and 6, may comprise cut-off lengths of extruded aluminum or aluminum alloys, preferably anodized to enhance and preserve their bright finished appearance. Each of these members may be decorated by scallops or flutes 15 (FIG. 3) produced therein by the dies through which they are extruded.

Before the complete installation shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is made, the frame members 2 to 4 may be fitted to the opening and temporarily installed. An end of either horizontal rail 2 and 3 can be filed off, or cut off, if found to be too long for the width of the opening, or recess R, into which the frame is to be installed. The preferred length of either rail 2 or 3 is that length in which it just fits between the bottom or Wall facing portions of channel uprights 4 when these uprights are fiush against the vertical adjoining wall surfaces. If one wall surface or the other is slightly out of plumb, the concerned one of the horizontal rails 2 and 3 can be made correspondingly shorter than the other by the noted filing or cutting.

The temporarily installed frame structure may now be removed. Thereupon, the complete structure may be assembled together by first assembling the sliding door structure including end stanchions 5, and intermediate stanchions 6, together with the attached pliable interstanchion panels 21, with the horizontal rails 2. and 3. That is, the usual track engaging glide members at the stanchion ends are inserted successively at the ends of 2 and 3 into track grooves 13 and 14 as described in the aforementioned Kochanowski application.

The four corner nuts such as 17 shown in FIG. 3 are then inserted through the open ends of members 2 and 3 into track grooves 13 and 14.

The upright members 4 are then assembled by inserting the end of each over the associated end portions of the channels within members 2 and 3.

The corner nuts such as 17 are positioned, until their threaded openings align with the openings through the inside channel arm of members 4 for corner bolts 12, whereupon corner bolts 12 are inserted and threaded into the corner nuts to secure the corner portions of the frame structure together, the screws 12 being only mildly tightened.

The assembled structure is installed in its illustrated position, wherein the sides of the frame as represented by the common web of channel members 4 are against the opposed wall surfaces of recess R in wall W, within which a conventional bathtub T is installed. The lower rail member 3 and the lower end of side members 4 are brought to rest on the fiat portion of the outer lip of tub T, and the upper horizontal member 2 is supported at a distance above member 3 determined by the height or length of side members 4.

Side members 4 are then secured to the wall, as by screws or bolts 18 passing through drilled or punched holes in the wall-facing common portion of the upright members 4.

The corner bolts 12 are then turned tightly into the corner nuts 17 to tighten the frame structure securely and snugly in its installed position.

When the described installation steps have been taken, a finish strip 16 is applied to each of the upright members 4 of such a length as to fit snugly between the top surface of lower horizontal member 3 and the bottom surface of the upper horizontal member 2. Preferably, the members 4 and 16 are of mating-groove construction as seen in cross section in FIG. 3 to permit strip 16 to be snapped in place by inserting it with some force at one end to spring the arms of channel member 14 slightly apart, followed by applying inward force at successive points along the length of strip 16, until the final end portion thereof snaps firmly into keyed and locked position.

To assemble or mount each plastic latch element 10, each is grasped between the fingers at lugs 19 either before or after the door is assembled, and pressure applied thereto to force the lugs towards each other whereby the distance between the recesses 46 in the legs 22 of the element is lessened. Each latch 10 is inserted in slot or aperture 20 in a respective end stanchion 5, and on release of the pressure the legs 22 of the latch element spring apart to force the bottom and top edges of the end stanchion slot 20 into respective recesses 46. The latch element 10 is now held securely between the sides of recesses 46 in the end stanchion slot 20. Alternatively, of course, the latch element 10 could have been inserted in the slot 11 of the upright frame member 4, before cap strip 16 is put in place; however insertion in the end stanchion is preferred, as replacement is simplified.

With a latch element 10 placed in each of the end stanchions 5, each may be latched in the door-closed position of FIG. 1. The pliable inter-stanchion panels 21 are then unfolded, while end stanchions 5, due to the relatively long narrow construction, may be bowed back slightly by applying back pressure to handles 7 or 9 respectively adjacent the latch 10 to bring the protruding portion of latch 10 past member 4 and into alignment with slot 11. On release, the protruding portion of latch 10 fits into slot 11 in the end member 4, while the stanchion 5 assumes the overlapping position with respect to element 4 as shown in FIG. 3. The vertical latch receiving slot 11 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is located in the rear web of upright channel member 4 so that the latching arrangement is normally not visible from the outside, when in the latched position.

Handles 7 and 9 are provided to facilitate closing and flexing of the door structure from either inside or out to bring the end stanchion 5 and latch element 10 over the member 4 so that element 10 is aligned with slot 11. In the latched position horizontal movement of the end stanchions due to the tensile force exerted thereon by pliable panels 21 is prevented.

To unlatch the door, the central portion of the relatively long stanchion is sprung rearwardly by means of either the front handle 7 or the rear handle 9, which are screw-attached to the stanchion 5. Thereby latch member 10 is moved rearwardly until the forward portion thereof is withdrawn from its associated latch slot 11. The thus unlatched stanchion may be moved to the desired door-open position, the rearward tension preferably being maintained until latch member 10 clears the associated upright member 4.

While I have described above the principles of my invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of my invention.

I claim:

Door-latch structure adapted to releasably secure together a stationary stanchion and a leading-edge door stanchion of a sliding door comprising:

an aperture through each stanchion; and a U-shaped latch element adapted to be inserted through the apertures of each stanchion when the apertures are in alignment,

said latch element having outwardly flared lugs adapted to act as stop members,

the outside surface of said latch element containing recesses adjacent to the outwardly flared stop member lug,

said last named recesses receiving perimetrical wall portions surrounding the aperture of one of said stanchions and said latch element being longer than the length of said aperture through said one of the said stanchions, so that, when inserted into the said aperture through the said one of the said stanchions, it is locked in position by the engagement of the said one of the said stanchions with the stop member lug and the opposed sides of the said recesses.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 565,005 Kneisly Aug. 4, 1896 2,169,691 Hammer Aug. 15, 1939 2,249,132 Haslam July 15, 1941 2,291,936 Zabel Aug. 4, 1942 2,428,167 Linton Sept. 30, 1947 2,680,535 Thon June 8, 1954 2,703,140 Bonawit Mar. 1, 1955 2,746,538 Johnson et al May 22, 1956 2,779,167 Lo Faro Jan. 29, 1957 2,785,453 Wentz Mar. 9, 1957 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,062,279 November 6, 1962 George A. Kochanowski It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, lines 40 and 49, for "lug", each occurrence, read lugs Signed and sealed this 30th day of April 1963.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. SWIDER DAVID L- L D Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patent. 

